This Is MS Multiple Sclerosis Knowledge & Support Community

Hi everyone...

I'm in a unique situation and was happy to find a informative forum on MS online. I'm currently in my 20's and my mother was diagnosed with MS about 13 years ago (in her early 40's). She's not the type to complain about pain and she seems to be doing fine with her medication over the years. My father on the other hand found out he has end-stage renal failure about 3 years ago because of uncontrolled diabetes....and now he's started emergency dialysis this week and will need a donor in the next 6 months.

I'm hoping I will be able to give my kidney to him, provided that I'm a tissue & blood match. But I am a little concerned if I would get MS later on in life (I've read it's a 1 in 22 chance genetically to get MS if your parent has it??) and if I would be able to manage with one kidney and also to have children in the next 5 years....

Do you any of you have a parent with MS and have MS as well or any experience with organ donation?

Thanks.

welcome to the TiMS forum, angie.

i personally don't have a parent with ms, or any organ donation experience, but there are a lot of members here willing to provide support and perhaps someone will chime in.

if it helps i haven't heard anything about ms and kidney trouble as comorbidities.. but i have only had this diagnosis for 5 years so maybe someone else will know.

hope you are a match and that nothing stands in the way of you helping your dad!

(also it's just my opinion - but if you look after yourself with care and attention, i suspect you could do a good job of preventing any future diagnosis of ms and have children just fine too).

angie86 wrote:...I'm hoping I will be able to give my kidney to him, provided that I'm a tissue & blood match. But I am a little concerned if I would get MS later on in life (I've read it's a 1 in 22 chance genetically to get MS if your parent has it??) and if I would be able to manage with one kidney and also to have children in the next 5 years....

i just went thru this with my sister (she has Lupus). she needed a kidney transplant.

i was all set to be the donar when my mother said "today i have one child with kidney problems and tomorrow i will have two children with kidney problems". i couldn't go thru with it after that.

in the end, it added maybe a couple months to my sister's wait. now she has a new kidney and i still have both of mine.

your mother may feel the same about you.

angie86 wrote:Do you any of you have a parent with MS and have MS as well or any experience with organ donation?

No. However, I had a kidney stone about 2 years ago. Many people with MS tend to limit fluid consumption due to bladder issues. I can only imagine that having a kidney stone might be more painful/problematic with only one kidney (especially if your only ureter is blocked by a stone). Thus, it would be important to stay hydrated after a kidney donation in spite of any MS related bladder issues (or possibly lower stone risk with a dietary approach). Still, you're undiagnosed at this point, so there's a possibility that you won't get MS as it's not a foregone conclusion that all children of parents with MS develop MS themselves. It does increase one's odds though (I can't remember the exact numbers right now).

NHE